We had the opportunity to step away for a two-night stay in Dunedin, which is located on the south island. Dunedin is one of the most beautiful little towns that I’ve ever seen. Some of the buildings date back to the late 1800s. It was a sweet time to see this new place in New Zealand. I even walked up the world's steepest residential street - Baldwin Street. I had to stop a few times, but it was so worth it!
The same day we returned from Dunedin, while still at the airport, we welcomed two new staff members, Ken and Jemma, from Australia. Between that time and the start of school, we all worked to get the new campus ready. Some people painted, some people worked with drywall, and the list goes on and on. It was exhausting work, but so much fun to see the campus ready for the students. We have really enjoyed living on-site in our own flat and being so close to the school.
Throughout last semester up until today, there has been something underlying and heavy on our hearts. Andrew’s father is battling cancer once again. It came back much quicker than the doctors thought and his body has struggled with the treatments. Andrew had the opportunity to go see his father right before the semester started and it became apparent that his father’s body just wasn’t doing well. After much prayer we came to decision that we would return to Minnesota at the end of the semester. Having settled that in our hearts, we were fine with this decision and looked forward to being of some help to his parents – whatever that would look like.
Recently however, Andrew’s father has changed and our time table has been moved up. Andrew and I will be moving to Minnesota on Tuesday, February 19th. We feel compelled by the Lord to come alongside Andrew’s parents and help them in any way we can. We don’t have a lot of details at this time – such as how long we will be in Minnesota, but if you would like to reach out to us, please email us at McBrideFlock@yahoo.com.
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for us as we head to the States.
- Pray for Andrew’s parents and family as this is a very challenging time.
- Pray for CCBI as they transition with us leaving. There is a lot to learn in a short amount of time.
- Pray for our transition back into American culture, as reverse culture shock is real. I experienced it living abroad for a year in the late 1990s.
- Pray for wisdom for the decisions we have to make, as well as his parents.
Even in the midst of this crazy whirlwind, our great and mighty God already knew this and we believe He will continue to take care of us. He always has and we don’t believe He is going to stop any time soon.
Thank you for your love, support, and prayers! We appreciate you more than we can express!!
Dawn and Andrew McBride
